If I Stay
by sleepyheadrachel
Summary: "They say that your life can end with a flash of white. I thought mine did. How wrong I was…" Rachel's get into a car accident a month before she was set to leave for NYADA. When Rachel and her Dads go for a day out, the unthinkable happens and Rachel is left with the biggest decision of her life. To stay or to leave. To live or to let go. Can Quinn help her decide?
1. Author

Hey! This is a Faberry fanfic based loosely off of the novel _If I Stay_ by Gayle Forman with _Glee_ characters.

It follows Rachel Berry through the toughest decision of her life. If you've read the book, you know how it ends but please DO NOT leave spoilers in the reviews. It's a great young adult piece that I suggest you all read.

Disclaimer: There will be eventual graphic imagery of various kinds, angst, and lesbian smut.

I hope you enjoy and leave a review. This is my first full fanfic and I am choosing to focus solely on this at the moment. Go to .com for music and other things regarding the fic, but this is also my personal.

Thanks for reading,

Dani

PS- This is mainly canon, only some timeline things have been changed. So in the first flashback, Regionals have already happened.


	2. I Choose You

_They say that your life can end with a flash of white. I thought mine did. How wrong I was…_

**XXxxXX**

Rachel smiled as she closed the top on her picnic basket. A day with just her and her fathers, no real plans besides going to a local favorite spot and eating lunch. She had invited Quinn, of course, but her girlfriend had already planned to meet up with Santana and Brittany. With only a month left of summer before college, Rachel knew Quinn wanted to get in as much time with the other girls in the Unholy Trinity. Not that she minded at all, they got their time together. Her dads thought they were attached at the hip, the mental image bringing a smile to her face.

As she made her way downstairs, she buttoned up her coat. The summer rains had begun in Lima; something she enjoyed but hoped didn't ruin their plans. A smile bloomed across her face at the image of her and Quinn dancing through the rain and sharing a kiss. It was the only way to calm her down during a thunderstorm. The first time Quinn had taken her outside during one, she had been terrified. All it took was one kiss and everything else faded, her heartbeat mixing with the thrum of the thunder. She breathed out a sigh and played with the necklace around her neck, brushing her fingers over the furniture again. It was like she needed the tangible memories of her home before leaving for NYADA.

"Dad? Daddy?" She called, moving through the house to find them both in the garage. Hiram and Leroy stole one more quick kiss as Rachel joined them, who promptly looked down with the faint trace of a blush. "Hey Sweet Pea, are you ready to go?" Leroy asked, taking the basket from her to store in the trunk. "Yes! I'm so glad we get to do this. By the time we get there, the rain should be letting up," she beamed. Hiram grinned as he held open the backseat door for her, "Then let's go, Star!"

Rachel climbed in and pulled out her iPod. It had never been a problem deciding on which style of music the trio would listen to. Really, it was only a matter of _which_ musical they would choose that day. As her fathers slid in and buckled up, she scrolled through the various playlists Quinn had made for her. She covered her mouth to stifle a giggle as she saw the Passion Pit mix. Her dad's reaction to the quirky band the first time they had heard it had been priceless and similar to her own. But the hypnotic beats and lyrics had won her over in the end, her fathers preferring to listen to show tunes and oldies still. Finally she decided on the newer album of the Once Broadway soundtrack, setting her iPod in the cup holder and sitting back.

Hiram pulled out into the still falling rain, taking Leroy's hand over the console and shooting a smile back to Rachel. It was a rare occasion to have the three of them together, alone. Rachel and Quinn were inseparable these days, not that he minded. Had it really only been two months since Rachel had been set to marry that freakishly tall boy?

**xxXXxx**

Rachel turned to look at the dress over her shoulder, it reminded her of the one Audrey Hepburn wore in _Funny Face_. Perhaps she could do her hair up as well? She sighed and smoothed down the silky material. 'You are not settling. You are happy. You'll go to New York one day. Finn makes you happy.' All of the same thoughts running through her mind again. But if she was so happy, why did she have to keep reminding herself of that fact? There was an unsettled feeling in the pit of her stomach that only intensified as she caught sight of hazel eyes boring into her own. The rest of the girls had already finished their fittings and only Quinn was left to do.

Quinn blew out a breath, taking in the bright pink dress. Last to try it on and still reluctant but at least now it was just she and Rachel. She had promised to be there for her and she thought that she could, but standing there… it was just too much. Turning on her heel, she moved out into the main room of the bridal shop. Her breath hitching in her throat at the vision of Rachel in white, she was stunning. It only served to harden her resolve. "Rachel, I… I need to speak with you," she said and clenched her jaw. 'Now or never, Fabray.'

As beautiful as Rachel looked in that moment, she didn't look happy. And suddenly the reality of the whole situation came crashing down on her shoulders. This was a mistake. She was about to give up every single one of her dreams for a marriage that would more than likely end in a broken girl as well as broken dreams. How many promises had Finn made to get her to this point? How many of them would he break? She had already asked if Rachel was sure. 'You can't spell infinity without Finn!' She had squealed. And when she realized no one else would have the balls to say it, she sighed and disappeared to look at jewelry for a while.

Now desperation surged through her as she took a step forward. "You can't go through with this Rachel," she began. The attendant working on Rachel's wedding dress looked between the pair for a moment before bowing out to leave them alone.

Rachel turned to face the blond, keeping a calm and neutral expression though she felt anything but. Why? Why was Quinn saying this now? And why wasn't she stopping her? She really wished the other girls were still there with her. Tina probably would have stopped Quinn or someone else, but Rachel couldn't do it.

Quinn took another step towards the bride to be, her voice rising, "I'm not going to stand around and watch you ruin your life by marrying Finn Hudson." She said, her voice cracking. It was the difference between 'I won't let you do this' and 'I can't'. "You can't put your life on hold. You can't defer for a year. You… you just _can't_," she said, her voice softening towards the end.

Rachel stood with her shoulders back, feigning strength with her posture. But really, all she had wanted was this: a reason to call it off. A reason to stop the wedding. More than an excuse, she had wanted it to be Quinn to do it. The scene had played out in her dreams too many times to count: the blonde bursting through the doors of the synagogue just in time to object. And then the dream ended and Rachel was just left more confused than she had been. Why would Quinn object? Ever since the question about 'Here's To Us' and whether or not it had only been meant for Finn, she had begun to question so many little details about their growing friendship.

Why did those hazel eyes seem to cut past all of her insecurities? All the texts they had shared that grew from cordial, to playful banter, to borderline flirting. The most Finn texted her about was his desire to fondle her breasts. Quinn would ask about her day, how her fathers were, and what she would be singing next. Even the fact that Quinn had been the first person she had talked about the engagement with. Were all the signs pointing back to Quinn that obvious? And the way her eyes shined when she practically begged her not to get married, it was almost too much.

As Rachel seemed to be coming to some sort of epiphany, Quinn stood there awkwardly. She held her tongue for as long as she could before whispering, "Will you say _something_?"

"I… I don't know what you expect me to say Quinn. I don't know what you want from me," she murmured, testing Quinn's line of thoughts before revealing anything on her side. There was too much at stake right now and she knew how manipulative Quinn had been in the past.

The blonde took her final step forward, now standing right in front of her, one step below and evening out their heights. "It isn't 'what' I want from you, Rach. It's not one tangible thing. I just…" She took a breath, pushing back every instinct that screamed at her to run now before anything else was revealed. It was the way Fabray's dealt with things: you either ran or you drank until you forgot. But this was one of those moments that could change everything for better or for worse, as ironic as that was. So she squared her shoulders and said in a stronger voice, "I want you. I want to be the one that makes you light up with a smile, the one you sing songs to, the first thing you think about in the morning and the last thing at night…" She trailed off as she saw tears starting to brim on Rachel's eyelashes. 'Shit… Please be happy tears, please be happy tears,' she pleaded with no one in particular.

Rachel almost couldn't believe this was really happening, it could have been another one of her more vivid fantasies. This was the Quinn that she hardly ever saw, the one that left behind her insecurities and spoke form the deepest part of herself. Each admission broke down her collected exterior as the familiar sting of tears began. "Q-Quinn," she stammered, wringing her hands together as she tried to find a response. She bit her lip to hold back a smile as she found the words she needed to say. "The song, I wasn't singing it to Finn. I may have looked at him during the performance but it wasn't for him." Rachel timidly reached out her hand to run down Quinn's arm, smiling at the goose bumps that popped up before taking her hand and softly singing, "Here's to us. Here's to _love_. All the times that we messed up. Here's to you, fill the glass, cause the last few days have gone too fast. So let's give 'em hell, wish everybody well. Here's to _us_. Here's to us."

As she finished, Quinn blew out a shaky breath. She knew it! The song had been for her, for them, and for love. Brining her own hand up to cup Rachel's cheek, she brushed her thumb over the soft skin. Her eyes flickered down to her lips before meeting those chocolate eyes. Rachel leaned into her touch, becoming the blushing bride for an entirely different reason. "I'm in love with you, Rachel," she admitted quietly. "I have been since I first saw you. And I want you to choose me. I am so tired of hiding, of pretending to be someone that I'm not. I can't just be friends with you anymore. And I can't watch you marry him," she breathed. "I won't."

A tear spilled over and rolled down into Quinn's hand. "You make me happy Quinn. And I haven't felt love like this before," she murmured. The only thought of Finn that crossed her mind was that she needed to see him immediately, to apologize and then to end things. Licking her lips, she moved in until their lips were almost touching. "I choose you," she exhaled before softly pressing her lips to Quinn's. And it was in that moment with soft, warm lips moving with her own, that she knew she was making the right decision.


	3. 5 Seconds

**Author's Note: This is _the_ chapter, the one full of crude imagery and angst. Fair warning. Also, since the wedding never happened, neither did Quinn's car crash. Songs used: _Gold_ by Interference and _The Hill_ by Marketa Irglova. Direct quotes from the novel were included, credit due to Gayle Forman from her novel _If I Stay_. No infringement intended. **

As the rain began to pour down harder, the windshield wipers kept time with the song and it's steady eighth notes. Leroy's voice filled the car, "Take this sinking boat and point it home, we've still got time." Rachel joined in on the harmony, taking full advantage of a chance to sing with her Dad. Hiram gave them each a smile before pursing his lips and focusing on the road. He turned down the music a tad and looked back at Rachel in the rear view mirror. "Sweet Pea, it's falling pretty hard. I don't think we'll be able to do this today," he said sadly. She furrowed her brow and sat up a little straighter, "But Daddy, they have awnings up that we can sit under. All we'd have to do is crowd under your golf umbrella and we'd get there just fine."

Leroy squeezed his husband's hand and turned in his seat to face Rachel, "Are you sure you want to risk getting drenched just for a picnic, Rach? We could always just turn around and set it up in the living room. Maybe put on _Singin' In The Rain_?" Hiram nodded along to the suggestion though he kept his eyes on the highway. "Dads, we haven't been back here in so long. This could be our last chance before I leave for NYADA. Can't we power though and try to stick with the original plan?" As her fathers shared a look and a sigh, she bit back a victory smirk. Another trait she had picked up from Quinn. "Fine, but when we all end up in bed with colds, you are in charge of making the soup," Hiram teased before turning the music back up in time for Rachel's favorite song.

_And if your life was gold_

_How long would you think you'd stay livin'? Hey!_

_And I love her so,_

_I wouldn't trade her for gold._

**xxXXxx**

5 seconds… that was all it took. The length between songs was all it took for everything to change. It seemed strange that the radio still worked afterwards. But it did. The haunting piano melody mixing with the symphony of grinding, the chorus of popping, the aria of exploding, and finally, the sad clapping of hard metal cutting into soft trees. The car could hardly be called more than torn metal now.

The force of the old Chevy pick-up crashing into the driver's side going seventy miles an hour through the pouring rain had the impact of an atom bomb. The glass of every window popping as it shattered, the doors being blown off. It sent the driver's seat through the passenger's side window. The metal of the front of the car seemed to rip apart as easily as paper, sending the engine across the two-lane highway. Only the pouring rain kept the gas tank from erupting in flames. And through that all, the radio was somehow still connected to the battery and so the soft female voice still filled the air.

_Walking up the hill tonight_

_When you have closed your eyes_

Rachel stood alone and looked down confused. She seemed fine, the red pea coat and black dress had on showed no markings at all. Not even the heavily falling rain left a drop. She could still hear the song, could still see the road from where she stood on the side. So she could barely make out chassis of the car and all the torn pieces as she shakily stepped forward. Rachel saw her Daddy first, the silver band on his hand still intact.

_But where are you my angel now?_

_Don't you see me crying?_

"Daddy?" She called, taking a few more steps towards him. It was then that she noticed the pavement had grown slick and there were gray chunks scattered along the gravel. Rachel recognized what it was but her own mind could not connect the pieces of Hiram's brain back to her Daddy. Because it wasn't real. It was just a nightmare, albeit the worst one she could ever remember having. Leroy was only a few feet away from his husband but didn't share the same marks. He would look peaceful if not for the blue lips and blood red eyes. Rachel covered her mouth in horror.

_I'm on my knees in front of him_

_But he doesn't seem to see me._

Turning on her heel, she tried to gasp in breaths. But she caught sight of something far too familiar. As she walked closer, she first noticed how the red of her jacket mixed with the burgundy of blood seeping out. Rachel looked down at her form and saw nothing out of place, felt nothing either. And yet when she looked up again, she could also clearly see herself. The blood from her chest was beginning to pool beneath her body. One of her legs was askew, the skin and muscle peeled away so that she could see her own bone. Her eyes were closed and her long, dark hair was wet and rusty with red. She reached up to toy with the silver, star necklace around her neck. Quinn had given it to her last week, the only thing that somehow remained untouched by the rest of the blood on the version of herself at her feet.

"This isn't right. It's not real. You just fell asleep to Dad singing. None of this is true. You are on your way to a picnic with Dads. Wake up, Rachel. Wake up!" She screamed at herself, but nothing changed. The breath from her scream should have smoked but it didn't. She stared down at her wrist and pinched as hard as she could but still nothing. There had never been a nightmare like this, they were normally about losing her voice or not really getting into NYADA. The worst nightmares to date revolved around Quinn breaking up with her. But Rachel had always been able to snap out of it, to open her eyes, to stop the horror movie playing behind her closed lids. She tried again. "Wake up!" She screamed. "WAKE UP! Wakeupwakeupwakeup!" But she couldn't and she didn't. The only sound other than her cries were the coming sirens.

**11:34 AM**

"Am I dead?" She voiced, needing to say the words aloud. "Am. I. Dead?" When her eyes fell back on the body at her feet, it seemed obvious that she was. But where was that white light? Where was her escort into the afterlife? This moment would be over soon and her life's candle would be blown out.

But the paramedics were there now. Her Daddy had already been packed away in a black bag. A sheet lay over her Dad and she heard the paramedics discussing the accident. One EMT explained to the other how this was a case of immediate cardiac arrest, that her Dad had been killed instantly. There was little comfort in that knowledge. "But am I dead?" Her thoughts circulated. The her that was still lying on the edge of the road was being poked and prodded by a team of paramedics. She was half-naked, the EMTs had ripped open her coat, blouse, and bra. One of her breasts was exposed. Embarrassed, Rachel looked away.

Back at the scene, the police were setting out roadblocks and instructing cars to turn back to where they had come from. There weren't many cars but the few that did come didn't turn around. People stalled their engines and grabbed their umbrellas to brave the rain and see the car wreck themselves. Things like this weren't that common in Lima. They appraised the accident. And then they looked away, some of them were crying, one woman retched on the side of the road. But even though they couldn't see who it was, some even prayed. Rachel could _feel_ them pray, which also made her think she was dead.

Add to that the fact that she couldn't feel anything else. Not the pouring rain or the biting cold. Her leg was ripped open and the bone was protruding out of her skin. She should have been in agony but there was nothing. Rachel had always been a crier too but not a drop fell from her eyes at the sight of her ruined family. Something unthinkable had just occurred and she was there to witness it all in complete numbness.

One of the paramedics that had been working on her with long brown hair and blue eyes answered her question finally. "Her Glasgow Coma is an eight. Let's bag her now!" She screamed. She and the younger male medic moved a much too long tube down her throat, connected a purple bag to it and started pumping it rhythmically. Rachel reached her free hand that wasn't clutching her necklace up to her own throat at the sight.

"What's the ETA for Life Flight?" The man asked. Rachel felt bad someone that wasn't that much older than herself was already used to seeing something like this. "Ten minutes," answered the brunette. "It takes twenty to get back to town. We're going to get her there in fifteen if you have to speed like a fucking demon."

Rachel could tell what the guy was thinking. What good would it do if the three of them got into a crash on the way to the hospital? And Rachel agreed. But he didn't say a word, only clenched his jaw. They loaded her into the ambulance, the medic with the kind blue eyes climbing into the back with her. Rachel followed suit and sat beside her on the small bench, giving her fathers one last longing look. She was supposed to stay with her body, right? How else would the proverbial 'they' find her?

The brunette, whose nametag read Katie, pumped the purple bag with one hand, adjusting her IV and monitors with the other. Then she fixed her blouse to cover her chest and brushed her soaked hair out of her eyes. "You hang in there," she whispered.


	4. On Her Way

**Author's Note: I'm not a Doctor so yes, things might be incorrect but I did what I could with the Internet. Graphic Imagery and Angst. Direct quotes from the novel were included, credit due to Gayle Forman from her novel _If I Stay_. No infringement intended. Reviews are appreciated so I know if I'm going in the right direction or not.**

**xxXXxx**

**12:12 PM**

As soon as Rachel's ambulance reached the hospital in Lima, she was rushed inside. "I think we've got a collapsed lung. Get a chest tube in her and move her out!" Katie screamed as she passed Rachel off to an ER team. "Where's the other driver?" asked a bearded guy in scrubs. Rachel jogged to keep up with them. If she was being honest, she couldn't give a damn about the other driver. That other driver had killed both of her fathers. "Other drive suffering minor concussions, being treated at the scene. The girl's fathers were DOA."

She wished that she could feel something, even if it was crippling pain. This numbness wasn't right. They took her to a small room with bright lights. A doctor, Mr. Lopez she recognized thanks in part to the nametag, dabbed some ghastly orange liquid onto the side of her chest and then just jammed a small plastic tube into her. Another doctor shined a flashlight into her eye. "Non-responsive," he told the nurse. "The chopper's here. Get her to trauma. Now!"

They rushed her out of the ER and into the elevators. Rachel had to jog yet again just to keep up with her body. Right before the doors closed, she noticed that Carol Hudson was there. She looked like she was rushing around the hospital hall, her face a mask of concentration. The pink scrubs fit her; Rachel had never seen her on the job but thought that she would make a great nurse. Before the door closed, she saw Carol and Santana's father speaking with one another.

The elevator doors opened right onto the roof. A helicopter, its blades swooshing the air, sat in the middle of a big red circle. "I've never been on a helicopter before," she thought idly. The hatch to the helicopter was opened and her stretcher with all its tubes and lines was loaded in. Rachel wondered if Carol would call Finn. She didn't want him to be the one to tell Quinn. She hoped that Santana's father would call San, since that was where Quinn was anyways. Maybe her girlfriend would take the news better from one of her best friends rather than her ex. She climbed in behind everyone. A medic bound in next to her but it wasn't Katie so she didn't really care. It was a strange sensation once the helicopter took off.

She had no idea how these people could work on her, could read the small computer print outs, could drive this thing while they communicated about her through headsets, how could they do any of it with the chopper bouncing through the sky like a basketball? Sure, she could sing, dance, and act at once but that was a lot different than keeping a person alive amidst chaos. The helicopter hit a pocket of air and by all rights it should have made her want to throw up. But she didn't feel anything, at least not the her that was a bystander. And the Rachel that was on the stretcher didn't seem to feel anything either.

Again she had to wonder if she was dead or not but then she told herself, "No. They would not have loaded you into this helicopter, would not be flying you across Ohio if you were dead." Also, if she were dead, she'd like to think Dad and Daddy would've come for her by then. They wouldn't have left her to travel into the afterlife all by herself.

She could see the time on the control panel. It's 1:37. She wondered what was happening back down on the ground. The rain had stopped falling sometime between her getting onto the ambulance and climbing into the helicopter. She fingered the silver star around her neck as she went over the possibilities. Her next of kin was probably Shelby, would they contact her birth mother since she had no aunts or uncles or grandparents? Had anyone told Quinn yet? That was really the only person that still mattered at the moment.

Surely, Carol would have called Finn and Kurt by now. The entire Glee club probably knew, whom was she kidding? If someone had only sent a text message to tell Quinn, she would make sure to have words with him or her if she ever escaped this alternate universe. Mr. Schue was probably already planning a themed week after her death. It was very dramatic and macabre but she couldn't help but think about that. What would people sing at her funeral? Maybe Quinn and Santana could do a duet again; they had been amazing at prom even if Rachel had to dance with Finn. She hoped Kurt would sing Barbra; he could pull it off surely.

From the larger buildings coming into view, Rachel surmised that they had taken her down to Columbus. It was only a two-hour drive from Lima. Was the Glee club already on their way? Was Quinn on her way?

**xxXXxx**

**12:36 PM**

A room that moments before had been full of laughter and jokes of old times mixed with questions of the future was dead silent now. Santana had gotten a phone call from her father, the ring of her cell phone permeating the atmosphere as she stood to answer it with a smile. The way her breath hitched... Eyes quickly filling with tears as dark brown eyes lifted to lock on hazel, sent a shiver down Quinn's spine. The majority of the conversation had been in fast Spanish. Quinn couldn't understand a word but she didn't need to, to know that it was bad and that it had to do with her.

"Si, I'll take her. Yes, I'll drive carefully. Ti amo," Santana said quietly and ended the call. She turned to Brittany and put a smile on her face, "Baby, why don't you go on home? Your Mom will ban me from the house if you don't get back in time for your sister's recital." Brittany had been too caught up in looking through that year's yearbook to notice the way the room had shifted to something somber. She looked up with a small O on her face, remembering her mom's threat from that morning. "Sure San, I'll talk to you two later," she agreed cheerfully, quickly standing and kissing San before walking out of her room.

"Q..." She tried shakily once her door was closed. How was she supposed to tell her best friend that her girlfriend had become an organ recipient's wet dream? It was too much for a teenager to deal with. Why did the bad stuff always seem to happen to them? Quinn had dealt with enough shit in her life. Berry had been good for Q, they were good together and happy. They didn't deserve this.

It was just one letter. Just one. But combined with that tone and that look... It ruined Quinn. It wrecked her. She walked backwards until she fell and sat on the bed, her hand coming up to cover her mouth. Santana's father worked at the hospital as one of the lead ER surgeons. Brittany wouldn't have been sent away if it wasn't about someone they knew. Brittany wouldn't have been sent away at all if it weren't something horrible.

"Quinn," San cleared her throat and tried to fight the shaking in her voice, she needed to be the rock right now. "There's been an accident."

Her eyes glazed over. You know those few moments in life where you just have nothing but clarity? Quinn didn't need to ask who had been in the accident. Quinn didn't need to listen as Santana began to explain everything she knew. Quinn didn't need anything but to hear the sound of Rachel's voice in her ear or the feeling of her lips against hers. That was what she needed.

"Her fathers are both gone. They passed at the scene," Santana explained as she took a seat beside Quinn and reached for her hand. "Ra-" Quinn held up her free hand, needing a second before her world ended. "Q, she's alive. For now," Santana said quickly. That didn't make it any better. 'For now' wasn't promising.

"Where is she?" Her voice shook with the tears that had begun to fall over. "They're flying her down to Columbus, she needed something better than Lima Medical Center." Quinn nodded and quickly stood, grabbing her purse. What mattered right now was getting to Rachel. Nothing else. She turned and looked at Santana, unashamed of the tears in her own eyes. "Can you drive? I have calls to make," she rasped and wiped at her eyes quickly. San nodded and stood, pulling on her shoes and grabbing a few things in case they were there for a while.

"We can be there in an hour and a half," she said quietly and grabbed her keys from the nightstand as she lead the way downstairs and bypassed her mom. Her dad could explain the situation. Santana's hand was firm against Quinn's as she led the dazed girl out to her car and looked up directions on her phone. She knew better than to try to talk to Quinn right now, the girl needed space and time to think so San just drove like a speed demon out to the highway and by the time she was on the US 33 she was going 90.

If Quinn had been in the right state of mind, she might have told Santana to slow the fuck down but at the moment she just wondered if they could go 100 without being pulled over. Rachel was in a car accident. Her Rachel. They had only been together for two months but Quinn knew that they had a kind of love that was so much bigger than high school. This wouldn't be the end of it. Rachel wouldn't become one of those girls that got a shrine and fake cries in the halls of McKinley. No, Quinn wouldn't accept that for her. Rachel would go to New York and she would be on Broadway. This was not how her story would end.

The first person she called strangely enough was Puck, he was probably the only person that she could get Shelby's number from besides the adoption agency. After fighting with him for a few minutes that she wasn't trying to steal Beth again, she blurted out what had happened and the line had gone silent before he said that he would text her the number and tell the Glee club. At least that took away that many more calls she would have to make. If Rachel's Dads really were dead (and that wasn't something Santana would have joked about), then Shelby was the only family she had left.

She stared at the number for a bit and turned to stare out the window as cars blew by in blurs. Hitting send, she listened for the ringing before the line was connected and Shelby's voice came over. 'Hello?' She heard, mixed with laughter in the background. "Shelby, it's Quinn. Please don't hang up," she rushed. 'What do you want, Quinn?' "It's Rachel. S-she…" Quinn swallowed the lump in her throat and blew out a breath. "Rachel was in a bad car accident." '… What happened? Will she be alright?' "I-I don't know. But I do know you need to come out from hiding wherever the hell you are," she said in a harder tone and wiped at her eyes again. 'Quinn, I can't just drop everythin-' "You are the only family she has left! Both of her fathers were killed in the crash," she spat, anger feeling so much better than devastation. "I don't care what you have to do but get to Columbus. She needs family right now and sadly that's you. Just come to the hospital," she sighed and hung up the phone, holding her head in her hands.

"Do you think she'll actually come?" Santana asked quietly a minute later. "If she doesn't, she can't call herself a mother," Quinn said in a hard voice and moved her eyes back to focus on the road as silent took over the car again. Both of their phones were ringing so often she took them both, turned them off and put them in the glove compartment. The pavement flew by and tears continued to roll down her cheeks as she imagined what happened. She wished she knew more. What side of the car had been hit? Where had Rachel been sitting? What caused the accident? Had the other driver been killed as well? She knew that a lot of accidents had way more damage happen to the car hit rather than the car that did the damage. It didn't seem fair.

"She's going to live. Berry's too fucking stubborn to die on you, Q," Santana said with a nod. Quinn chuckled humorlessly and wiped at her eyes, she was done crying for now. It wouldn't do Rachel any good. They just needed to get there. She just needed to hold her hand. "Do you think you can get me back to see her?" Santana pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes at the road, "I think that we'll do what it takes to get you back to your girl, Q." That sated her for now as she focused back on the road and willed time to pass faster.


End file.
